Keepin' On
by Kailor Aurelius
Summary: Ino's parents die and she finds a secret and a baby from an enemy village. When she takes the baby in and the rest of the village starts to avoid her, who will stand by her? Heh heh heh...
1. Death Brings A Secret To Light

**Thunder: Yes! My turn to write! Mwahahahahaha!**

**Naruto: We are under strict orders to make sure that you write no M rated fanfics.**

**Nuriko: I ain't helping. That girl's got a bite worse than her bark.**

**Thunder: Grrrrr….**

**Naruto:…Please enjoy Miss Aurelius.**

**Thunder: That's what I thought. And you might like this one.**

"It's horrible."

"So young."

"I hear they were…torn apart."

"Yes, and they were found by their daughter."

"Oh my, the poor girl!"

Ino closed out the voices as she entered the funeral home with Sakura. She'd been hearing the same things over and over since she had returned from the fateful mission.

Now she knew why parents never went on missions with their children.

Everyone was already there. Sasuke nodded as Sakura and Ino sat beside him.

The blonde tried to keep her eyes off of the two coffins in front of her.

A few hours later they stood and began to leave the church. Ino took her place behind the coffins with Sakura clutching her hand. Everyone filed down the road and to the gravesites. The coffins were placed beside each other in front of the holes. A few last words were said and roses were laid on the boxes.

People began to leave. The grave diggers would be there soon to place the coffins in the ground and cover them.

Ino watched Sasuke and Sakura walk away as night fell. She sat under a tree, wanting to be there when her parents were laid to rest for good.

Just then a spotlight clicked on. The grave diggers must have put it there early on. But who had turned it on?

She stood and walked closer. The light shown on the coffins and she could just barely see a dark figure beyond the light.

He stepped into the spotlight's beam. His blonde hair shown pale yellow and the orange light turned his sapphire eyes green for a moment.

She stared at his ridiculous orange jumpsuit. Orange had always been her favorite color but he just had too much.

"_What's Naruto doing here?" _she thought. Naruto stepped between the coffins and reached out a hand to both.

"Mr. Yama…Mrs. Yama…thank you. I'll never forget what you did for me."

Ino frowned, wondering what on earth her parents could have done for the Kyuubi container. He had been dropping by the flower shop a lot. Even now, at nineteen, he stopped to chat with her and her parents. She even heard his voice every now and then when she had passed it while off duty. Why?

Naruto pulled a single white rose from his pocket and laid it on top of the pile of red and yellow ones on Mrs. Yamanaka's coffin.

Ino blinked. She had forgotten that her mother loved white roses the best.

The blonde boy then pulled a playing card from his other pocket and looked down at it.

"I owe you way more than money. Heh. So long King of Hearts. This ace is gonna be dealt later. For now…I'll wait in the deck." He placed the card on Mr. Yamanaka's coffin and sighed.

"I'll take care of Ino for you."

This made Ino jolt. _"What?"_

"I'll show her what I've always felt but never shared. You knew that I loved her and you knew about the demon in me. Yet still you encouraged me to tell her. I'm sorry I waited too long. I'll tell her one day."

A tear rolled down his face and Ino watched the stars sparkle in his eyes as he faced the heavens.

"Until then I'll watch over her. I'll never forget…Good-bye."

A breeze blew dust into Ino's eyes and by the time she had wiped them clean Naruto was gone.

She stepped into the spot where she had seen the blonde boy and glanced down at the card on her father's coffin.

It was the King of Hearts.

**Thunder: Gotcha wonderin', huh?**

**Naruto: What's gonna happen!?**

**Nuriko: Interesting…**

**Thunder: Send reviews and you'll find out the rest. Mwahahahahahahahahaha!!!!**


	2. From The Village Hidden In The?

**Thunder: Alrighty! I finally wrestled the laptop away from Jude! My turn to write!**

**Naruto: WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN!?**

**Nuriko: I've been waiting for the answer to that question.**

**Thunder: Well, here it goes.**

The next day Ino left her apartment and began to walk towards Naruto's house.

She had to talk to him. She needed to know what had gone on between her parents and the boy.

Rain hit her bare shoulders and she sighed. Naruto's house was too close to go back.

Just as she stepped forward her foot slipped and she fell into the ditch. Now covered in mud and with a pain in her ankle, she sighed again. She wasn't getting home on this twisted ankle.

She took a breath to cry out as the wind and rain got heavier but cut off as a baby's small sob hit her ears.

She sat up. Not three foot from her was a basket with a baby inside.

"Ino? I was just coming to see you. Are you okay?"

She looked up and met his sapphire eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

"I-I fell."

"Oh dang. Are you hurt?" Naruto hunched his body over hers to block the rain.

"I twisted my ankle but the baby—"

"Baby? What?" He turned and peered into the basket. "Who are you darlin'? What are doing in a ditch?"

He lifted the baby gently and it curled into his chest, content immediately. Ino stared at him. He unzipped his baggy jacket and laid the child in it, zipping it enough to keep her in but so she could breathe. The blonde reached back into the basket and pulled a scroll case with a forehead protector tied around it from the blankets.

"Uh-oh." Naruto showed her the symbol and they both stared.

The baby was from the village hidden in the Mist.

**Thunder: Oh, the suspense!**

**Naruto: WHAT HAPPENS!?**

**Nuriko: Yeah! What, what?**

**Thunder: Well, if I get a few reviews you'll find out.**

**Naruto/Nuriko: Please review readers!!!!!**


	3. Boyfriend Material?

**Thunder: FINALLY!**

Naruto bit his lip. "I'm going to take both of you to my house until this storm passes. I've no idea how long this baby's been out here, but it can't be good for her."

Ino nodded. She tried to push to her feet. A hand on her shoulder stilled her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting up."

"No way crazy. That ankle's twisted bad. I'm carrying you both. On my back." He turned and crouched, one hand on the bundle in his jacket.

Ino blushed. She knew she wasn't fat but a girl never liked to climb onto a boy's back without knowing if he could hold her or not. "Naruto, I-I can-"

"No," His eyes softened. "You can't." His whisper hung in the air between them. She nodded and climbed onto his back, careful to make sure she didn't make him face plant in the mud. "Hold on tight."

She only had enough time to grab his jacket and clench her thighs around his waist before he was flying through the air, arms tight around the baby.

His house loomed above them. When Naruto had found out his father had been the fourth Hokage he had inherited Hokage Manor. He landed on the porch and whispered an unlocking jutsu. Once inside, she tried to slide off his back. Naruto's warm hand grabbed her bare thigh, holding her in place. A blush flashed across her face. He carried her the few feet to the couch and sat, lightly letting her slip off.

The blonde boy paused where he was for a moment to pull the baby out of his jacket. Ino's eyes widened as she realized he was sitting between her legs. Her body felt hot. She struggled with the need to get away and the strong desire to remain just as she was. He made the decision for her.

Naruto stood and crossed to the other side of the couch. He laid the baby there and put pillows beside her, to keep the infant from rolling off. Then he turned sapphire eyes on her and held up one finger. A moment later a doppelganger carried a bag of ice and a towel from the kitchen. He took both and his double disappeared.

"Put your leg up on mine." He sat on the coffee table and gently lifted her leg onto his knee. With deft, sure moves, he pulled her sandal off, carefully keeping her ankle still.

"It isn't um… broken is it?" She asked, half scared to hear his answer.

Naruto bit his bottom lip, something she had come to think of as his 'Thinking Face'. He pushed one finger into the small hollow between her heel and ankle.

"OW!"

His smile was reassuring. "No, definitely not broken."

Ino glared at him as he moved to make sure the baby was warm enough.

"So are you a doctor now?"

"Hang out with Sakura and Granny Tsunade long enough and I might as well be." He said it as if he was annoyed with the both of them. But the smile on his face was a fond one.

She felt her mind turn to the night before, to the deck of cards she had bought this morning. The young kunoichi had been tempted to take the King Naruto had left behind but she realized that was his parting gift for her father so instead she had bought her own deck. His back was strong and his shoulders seemed wider than normal as he bent over the babe, carefully tucking her in and making sure she had made the trip completely dry.

"Naruto?" She forced herself back to more important matters. "What about that scroll? Shouldn't we read it?" Naruto glanced at it where he had left it on the coffee table.

"No, we've got other things to worry about right now. I'll get it to Tsunade as soon as I can. I'll run over there when the rain slacks off." He unzipped his jacket and hung it on his coat rack, exposing a soaked black shirt that clung to his tight muscles enticingly. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes. Wait here and I'll get you something to wear."

He disappeared into his bedroom before she could argue. She REALLY didn't want to wear one of his orange jumpsuits.

…Maybe the jacket but just because it looked warm.

"Ino?" Her eyes snapped away from his jacket to find him holding up a small gym bag.

"What's this?"

"These are yours. Sakura told me that you left them at the gym a few weeks ago when Tsunade called you away. I had her wash them before I took them, since there are some uh…delicates in there. I've been meaning to bring it back, but I haven't had time." She took it and opened. A set of purple shorts and a gray tank top were folded neatly on top of her bra and underwear. The bag even smelled good.

"Thanks." She muttered, trying to stand and find a bathroom.

"Oh, here." He slid indefinitely gentle hands behind her back and pulled her to him, lifting her in his strong arms. Ino fought to keep the blush off her face as he carried her into the bathroom.

Naruto quickly left, closing the door. Ino sighed, trying to calm her racing heart as she leaned against the toilet back. Suddenly she winced and moved away from it. A large bruise had worked its way across her back and shoulder without her realizing. She must have fallen harder than she thought. The blonde tried raising her arm high enough to get her bra unhooked. She wouldn't even be able to get her shirt off like this! There were two options.

Stay in her wet clothes until they were dry, even though she was freezing cold.

Call Naruto in to help.

Her mind quickly started comparing and contrasting these two choices. On one hand, she knew that Naruto loved her and would probably be more than willing to help. On the other foot(I did that on purpose, Readers), however, she was not at all sure how she felt about him. They had become better friends than they had been due to his frequenting their flower shop so often nowadays. She had even come to consider him one of her best friends. But did she see him as husband, or even boyfriend material?

As she slid the door open she immediately knew the answer to that question. Naruto had done a quick change into black pants and a light blue tank top. His blonde hair was dried and he was sitting on the couch. For a moment he definitely looked like what all women would love a boyfriend to be. His arm muscles rippled as he stretched. His eyes were dark, fixed on space. She found herself staring at his arms. Boyfriend? Hell yes.

Then the baby stirred, letting out a small cry. Ino watched as Naruto's eyes cleared and softened. He slid his hands beneath the baby and lifted it, holding her to his chest with a gentle kindness she'd never really noticed before. He whispered softly to her and immediately the babe settled, falling back into her heavy sleep. The smile on the young ninja's face made him look so…handsome. Husband? There was a definite chance.

So what the hell? Why not give him a little glimpse of the girl he loved?

"Naruto? Can you come see?" He looked up, nodded, and placed the baby back in her snug little corner.

"What you need, Ino?" She opened the door and motioned him inside. Slightly wary, he crossed the threshold.

"Could you-I understand if you don't! But um…could you help me uh…get…get dressed? My-my back's all bruised up and I can't really bend to get my shorts or my shirt or um…anything off."

His eyes widened, quickly running down her wet body.

"Are you sure? I mean, I won't do anything and if you really need the help, I'll help. I just want you to be sure." His question caught her off guard. She'd been expecting a too quick acceptance and an even faster stripping. Maybe Naruto did have a bit of a gentleman in him.

"I-I'm sure." She nodded, sitting back down on the toilet.

"Shirt first?" He asked. She nodded again, not trusting her voice.

Naruto knelt beside her and slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt. Trying not to stretch the material too much he pulled it away from her body and helped her get the arm closest to the bruise out first. Then he copied the move on her other side, freeing both of her arms and revealing the purple bra she'd put on that morning.

Ino kept a close watch on his eyes. They skimmed quickly over her chest. This disappointed her somewhere inside but she also felt her respect for him grow. Not many in Konoha had such a nice um…choice of lingerie.

He tugged the shirt over her head, throwing it into the laundry basket. "Give me a second." The kyuubi container lifted her clean bra and examined it closely. Just before she could call him a pervert he smiled. "Sorry, but seeing as I don't wear one of these I had to figure it out real quick. I've got it." He stood, eyes darting to her half-naked torso and away again. "Could you stand up and move closer to me?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. He blushed.

"I just, if you stand really close I can keep my eyes over your shoulder while I help you with this." He indicated the bra by the sink. She understood his reasoning there.

Or was she really just that eager to be near him?

Ino moved forward until she was mere inches from him. He leaned his head forwards a bit so that if he happened to glance down all he would see would be the floor behind her.

She drew in a sharp breath as his fingers glided up her back. With one hand he unsnapped her bra.

It was extremely hard not to tremble as his hands grazed her shoulder blades. Taking hold of the straps he pulled them down her arms, allowing the garment to fall at their feet. She felt her fingers twitch as his hot breath caressed her ear. Naruto leaned forward a bit more to grab her other bra. Her heart almost stopped as her breast rubbed against his rock hard chest. From the way his body tensed she knew that he could feel her nipples pushing against his chest as her breathing quickened slightly. It was cold in there after all.

Wisely, he kept his mouth shut, grabbing the bra and quickly moving a bit away. He held it up near his abs. She slid her arms into it, waiting as he hooked it over her shoulders and snapped it in the back.

"Can you adjust it yourself?" Ino knew he meant putting it below and around her breasts so that she wasn't falling out of the bottom of it. Her mind muttered yes.

Her lips whispered, "I don't think so."

Traitorous tongue!

The young male took a shaky breath before sliding his fingers below the snap and trailing them around to her front, straightening the bra and fitting it comfortably around her breasts. All too soon, his fingers were gone. He bent to grab her clean shirt.

As he straightened his eyes fell on her chest and his face turned beet red. He quickly pretended he hadn't looked and pulled her shirt over her head. With utmost care he led her arms into the holes, straightening the shirt for her. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of the only pieces of clothing left wet. Would she be able to live through that? The heat he had caused in her only by brushing against her had been bad enough. How would she take him removing her underwear? Could she?


End file.
